


Safe Distance

by Sakrabur



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, COVID19, Coronaregulations are relevat for their circumstances of meeting, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family, M/M, Reunions, Sports, They are dumb, a mess, lying to their family, maybe slowburn?, nobody gets sick, their mums believe in fate, this was supposed to be a oneshot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakrabur/pseuds/Sakrabur
Summary: Due to the Corona Virus, seats at sports events are limited. What happens when two boys want to see their mums play, but there is only one seating unit left?
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is written in accordance to the regulations for Sports events in my area, which actually gave me the idea for this. Don't sit next to stangers, that's irresponsible. Please dont take this too seriously, I just thought this would be a fun idea :)  
> And always remember to wWash your hands, keep your distance, avoid large groups, wear a mask, air out rooms and stay safe!
> 
> Enjoy~

The line was longer than Jaehyun anticipated. He didn’t know that handball was that popular of a sport. He waited patiently for his turn. He felt a presence behind him. When he turned around, he found a boy standing behind him, tapping his foot. His eyes were narrowed in his impatience. While Jaehyun was also surprised that there where that many people, he didn’t mind that much. They moved a spot forward. Being bored by the wait, Jaehyun kept stealing glances at the boy behind him. He could only see the boy’s eyes, but judging from the deepening wrinkles on his forehead, he wasn’t too pleased to have to wait. Eventually it was Jaehyun’s turn.

“You are lucky, you are the last person I can let in. There are only two seats left.” Jaehyun was able to hear an angry huff behind him. He came up with an idea.

“Actually, I am here with my boyfriend so I would like to get two tickets. He’s just angry at me since we got in a fight earlier. Will you come here babe?” With that he turned around to smile at the boy, hoping his eyes would convince the boy to join him. The boy’s eyes go soft in surprise. Jaehyun chuckles to himself. He hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself right there.

“Fine.” Came the curt answer and the boy crossed the two-meter distance between them to fill in the contact forms, accepting the ticket the security person gave them. He didn’t look too convinced of their story but let it past. They went to their seats quickly and sat down on the bleachers with as much distance as their designated spot allowed them.

“Was this your good deed of the day?”  
Jaehyun could tell that the boy was in a bad mood and gulped. Maybe he just should’ve gone in alone. 

“No, I just thought you would like to see the game.”

“You could’ve said I was your friend or something. Or your brother.”

“Well it was the first thing that came to my mind. I’m sorry about that. Thank you for playing along. I would’ve looked stupid otherwise.”

“You would’ve deserved it. You are lucky that I promised my mum that I would be here. I didn’t think that that many people would come. They must be happy that there even are games again.”

“I’m here for my mum as well. I came back home because my classes are online anyways. Mum just recently started to play again after I left for university.” The boy nodded. He seemed somewhat appeased.

“Me too. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jaehyun. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Doyoung. Thank you for getting me in.”  
Soon the game started and Jaehyun found that he enjoyed Doyoung’s company at the bleachers. Jaehyun secretly dreaded going to see the game, since he didn’t understand handball that well and it was boring to just watch a sport instead of playing it in his opinion. Doyoung on the contrary seemed to be very passioned about the game and his commentary was entertaining enough to make Jaehyun giggle on multiple occasions. When the halftime whistle blew, Doyoung leant back with an exhausted huff.

To pass the time, Jaehyun engaged Doyoung in some small talk. They learnt that their universities weren’t far from each other and that they did indeed went to the same school but never met since they were in different grades. It was funny to Jaehyun how well they got along in the 15 minutes of the break. The game ended without any more incidents. Since their mothers still had to shower before they went to meet their mums, Jaehyun and Doyoung went to sit on one of the benches outside of the gymnasium. The sun was fully out at the time and felt pleasant on their skin. They kept talking and talking until Jaehyun’s mum walked up to her son to greet him. 

“Good to see you here Jaehyun. Who’s this? “His mother inquired, not unfriendly, but definitely curious. Over her shoulder Jaehyun noticed the security guard that distributed the tickets earlier.

“This is my boyfriend, Doyoung. I wanted to introduce him to you for a long time now.” He said in his panic. Doyoung hit his arm lightly. The security guard went away, shaking his head. Before Jaehyun could explain anything to his mother, Doyoung’s mum went up to them, greeting Doyoung with a hug.

“Is that your son? Because mine just told me that they were dating.”  
Jaehyun heard Doyoung facepalm next to him.

“Oh my god, it is, can you believe that our sons are dating? It must have been fate.”

“After we didn’t work out, the universe decided to bring these two together.” Jaehyun looked at Doyoung to see his face scrunched up in shock and disgust. Jaehyun probably didn’t look any different. Their mothers were way too overexaggerated. They weren’t even dating to begin with.

“Isn’t that crazy, Doie? Our love wasn’t meant to be, but you two found each other.”

“Aren’t you too enthusiastic about this? I didn’t even know you were friends with Jaehyun’s mum. You never mentioned her.”

“That’s because we just recently reunited, when you were of to uni. We went to school together, fell in love, then we both moved and broke it off. Turns out we both decided to settle in our hometown again. We never met until we started to play handball together. Fate works in weird ways sometimes.”

“You are so dramatic. I am glad that you are happy with your reunion, but we actually aren’t dating.” Doyoung attempted to tell their mothers the truth.

“Oh, my dear, no need to be shy. It’s okay, you can date Jaehyun. I can see he is very fond of you.” Doyoung turned to Jaehyun with a blush on his face. In hindsight, Doyoung was probably asking for Jaehyun’s help, angry at their mothers for not listening. But in that moment Jaehyun just smiled and shrugged. There was no need to correct their mothers, they would probably forget about the whole thing soon enough. 

Jaehyun was wrong. Not even a week later he found himself in the garden of Doyoung’s family home, a drink already placed in his hand. The only empty spot was next to Doyoung on a very short Hollywood swing. Judging by the look on Doyoung’s face, he was just as surprised by the visit as Jaehyun was. His mum just told them they would ‘meet some friends’. They were doomed. All of their parents (even their dads) looked at them knowingly, teasingly, unaware that the romance that they saw there doesn’t exist. Finally, Jaehyun sat down. It was impossible keep any sort of distance between them, so Jaehyun found himself pressed to Doyoung’s side. The blush on his face was inevitable. 

“So, what are you planning to do, Jaehyun the great?” Doyoung hissed out. Jaehyun flinched at the harsh tone in his voice. He didn’t dare to turn to face Doyoung.

“You brought us into this mess. Both of our families think we are dating, just because you couldn’t be honest. Mum is ecstatic that we found each other, and I don’t want to be the one that tells her that our fairy-tale meeting is actually a lie. So please fix this.”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that? It will hurt their feelings.”

“Well right now you are hurting my feelings. You could’ve helped me out last week, but you didn’t and now we’re here.”

“I will fix it. I promise. But not tonight, I really don’t want to ruin this get together. We didn’t have one in so long. Please just let’s pretend today.“ 

“You are awful you know that?” Doyoung replied, but when he saw Jaehyun’s mother smile at them warmly he couldn’t help but agree with Jaehyun. One more night of their parents believing they dated couldn’t hurt anyone, could it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again, unexpectedly. It doesn't go as they want it to go (or does it?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite fun to write and I sincerely hope it makes sense :D  
> Enjoy~

“So how did you meet?“ that far, the evening went swimmingly. Their parents caught up on the things they did in the last few weeks and did not bay much attention to Jaehyun and Doyoung who ate in complete silence. Jaehyun was thinking deeply how to strike up a conversation with Doyoung when his father asked the question. They couldn’t answer the question. Jaehyun looked over to Doyoung to search for help. The latter just rolled his eyes subtly and turned to Jaehyun’s father with a smile. 

“We met at a meeting for student associates. We took on the same project and grew closer while working together. It was great to discuss with Jaehyun. We complemented each other well.” Whit his words he turned to Jaehyun. His face was pulled in an overly sweet smile and Jaehyun suddenly felt his heart sink. Doyoung was good at acting. He wasn’t sure whether he could keep up with that.

“I was really surprised when your mum told me that you had a boyfriend. You could’ve told us something beforehand. You know we are curious about stuff like that and you never dated anyone before.” Now his father was looking at Jaehyun expectantly. He looked disappointed. Jaehyun couldn’t help but blush. He knew that Doyoung was his supposed boyfriend, but he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at what his dad revealed. He didn’t even know Doyoung. 

“I was shy?” Jaehyun tried. He was pleased when his father started laughing loudly. 

“So, say Doyoung, how is Jaehyun?” Jaehyun’s father asked after he calmed down.

“He is a true gentleman. At least most of the time. He is always eager to help. He has become my personal hero in a sense.” Doyoung’s tone was sharp and Jaehyun just hoped his father wouldn’t notice the edge in his words. As for Jaehyun, he felt that Doyoung was being unfair. He had just tried to be nice by inviting Doyoung to sit with him. Plus, he didn’t know that they would end up where they were then, when he didn’t help Doyoung to explain what happened to them. He tried to not let his anger show. 

“That sounds just like Jaehyun.” Doyoung continued to chat with his father and Jaehyun was surprised how smooth Doyoung was in making fun of him. Being frustrated with the whole situation. Jaehyun excused himself and went inside the house to search for the toilet. Instead of finding the bathroom he found himself standing in the hallway grabbing his hair harshly. He ignored the noise of the door opening and closing until he felt a presence next to him. 

“Are you okay?“ He recognized Doyoung’s voice. There was some actual concern laced with the mocking tone Doyoung always seemed to have. 

“I’m fine, just frustrated. You don’t even know me but are still able to make fun of me. You are doing great by the way. My dad loves you already. It’s going to be hard to convince our parents that we aren’t dating later.” The door opened again and Doyoung gestured Jaehyun to follow him up the stairs without saying anything. They ended up in what had to be Doyoung’s room. It was neat but lived in. The windowsill was filled with plants of all kinds. Jaehyun wondered why they were there in the first place. 

“You have a point. It is going to be hard to convince them that we aren’t dating, but I am not going to blow our cover now. I was lucky enough that your dad believed all the things I said. As long as my dad doesn’t talk to us about… us we should be fine. He is very sceptical. Anyways. Our first date was at an Italian restaurant. Keep it as basic as possible. Our favourite spot is in a coffeeshop near the university and our friends don’t know each other yet, as we kept it lowkey for now. We have been dating for a few months now. We like to watch movies and talk about them. I hope you know what a student association does. Got it?”

“What?”

“That’s our cover story. To make it believable. They will be hurt if they catch us lying.”

“Wouldn’t it hurt more for them if we are too convincing?”

“Oh my god, what do you want?”

“I don’t know?” Doyoung rolled his eyes at Jaehyun’s words.

“Listen, I don’t think we’ll be able to get out of this without disappointing our parents. We can do it now or later. You said you will fix this, but you have to work with me here.”

“I know that I said that. I just hate confrontations. They make me uncomfortable. Can’t we just pretend that we break up?”

“That’s dumb and you know it. I would like to get this over with so I can concentrate on other things. Let’s pretend tonight and you talk to your parents later. It’ll give you some time to prepare. You probably won’t stay much longer anyways.” 

~

Doyoung was wrong. When they went down the stairs, their parents migrated into the living room and to Their horror, both of Jaehyun’s parents held wine glasses.

“Jaehyunnie, we are going to stay the night! We’ll take the guest room and you can sleep in Doyoung’s room. Isn’t that amazing.” Jaehyun and Doyoung looked at each other in horror. They would spend more time with each other than they originally planned it seems. Telling their parents now would be pointless, as they already seemed too drunk for a  
serious talk. 

“That’s great, mum”, Jaehyun said carefully. Doyoung next to him frowned. He then leaned over to whisper in Jaehyun’s ear: “You owe me one meal at least”, before walking over the only free seat in the living room. When he settled into the armchair, he challenged Jaehyun by gesturing for him to take a seat on the armrest next to him. Jaehyun didn’t want to, but he got annoyed. Instead of sitting down on the armrest, he settled down onto Doyoung’s lap. Doyoung tried to throw him off, but Jaehyun just leant back as if the seat were empty, earning a groan from Doyoung. Satisfied, Jaehyun finally let up and sat in front of the armchair. He just then noticed their parents looking at them. He expected shocked or worried looks, but they are smirking instead. Jaehyun turned red; a short gaze in Doyoung’s direction confirmed that Doyoung faired no differently. Except that Doyoung was red with anger and not with embarrassment. It was going to be a long night. 

Lucky for them, their parents seemed to reminiscence in the past and paid little attention to what they were doing. As entertaining as it was, Jaehyun got sleepy quickly and leant back at Doyoung’s legs to rest. This prompted Doyoung to excuse them so they could go to bed. Doyoung pushed a toothbrush in his hands and directed him to the bathroom, maybe with a bit more force than necessary. When he returned from getting ready, he found Doyoung’s room empty. There was a set of pyjamas perched on a chair next to the door. Doyoung came into the room, shoved an extra blanket and pillow in his hands and pointed to the pyjama.

“That’s yours, get changed.” Doyoung was already changed and ready for bed so he walked over to his bed and tucked himself under the blanket. Jaehyun got dressed quietly to not disturb Doyoung. Even though, Doyoung laid near the wall, Jaehyun didn’t want to invade Doyoung’s space, so he began to place his bedding on the floor. 

“Just get in the bed. It doesn’t matter.” Doyoung grumbled, his voice sleepy. And so Jaehyun did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there was only one bed~


	3. Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! I hope you enjoy reading!

The next morning was uneventful. Jaehyun was awake before Doyoung and decided to stay put in bed until he heard the voices of his parents in the kitchen. He decided to just get up without waking up Doyoung. Jaehyun felt that it was the right thing to do. In the kitchen, he was greeted by his mother, asking why he didn’t bring Doyoung with him.

“He likes to sleep; I didn’t want to disturb him.” Jaehyun’s words resulted in his parents and Doyoung’s mother cooing at him. 

“He has that from his father. Good call, you know him quite well.”  
Jaehyun just smiled. Soon everyone would gather in the kitchen and Jaehyun noticed that Doyoung was indeed not a morning person. They didn’t talk at all until Jaehyun’s parents decided that it was time to go. 

“You need to tell your parents today.” Were the last words Doyoung spoke to him before Jaehyun left.

Hours past after Jaehyun arrived at home with his parents. He wasn’t sure how to start the conversation about him and Doyoung not actually dating. Eventually he decided to just go for it.

“Mum, I need to tell you something.” Jaehyun later realized that he should have phrased this better. His mother sat him down and even made tea and was staring at him worriedly. 

“What is it. Did you get in trouble? Is something bothering you?” Jaehyun had to smile at his mother’s concern for him.

“I am not actually dating Doyoung.” Jaehyun decided to be direct.

“What? Are you telling me you are only friends with benefits or something?”

“No. no. not at all.”

“What is it then? You two are so close.”

“We actually don’t know each other. We met at the game. We didn’t want to get caught by the security guard, so I lied about us being boyfriends. I am sorry for lying to you like that.” 

“Jung Jaehyun, you are an idiot.” Of all possible reactions, Jaehyun did not expect that reaction from his mother. She was smiling at him.

“So Doyoung was telling the truth after the game that you weren’t boyfriends, and you didn’t help him. He must have been furious. And rightfully so. Do you like him?”

“What the hell mum. I just told you I don’t know him. I didn’t react, because I didn’t know how to. I was overwhelmed. You should be angry that I lied to you.”

“Oh no, I get you. I would want to have Doyoung as a boyfriend too, even if it was just fake. You are forgiven for now.”

“For now?”

“You like Doyoung don’t you? We didn’t get suspicious at you two because you seemed genuine.”

“I don’t even know him.”

“For now. But you want to get to know him, don’t you? You should ask him out for a date.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Why not?” Jaehyun’s mother said, standing up without another word, sipping her tea while walking away.   
Jaehyun would never hear the end of this. And maybe he wanted to get to know Doyoung better.

~ 

A week later, Jaehyun found himself standing in front of Doyoung’s family home again. This time, none of his parents were around. His mum asked him to deliver some cookies to Doyoung’s parents. He suspects, that was not the reason they have send over Jaehyun. Doyoung’s mother opened the door after Jaehyun rang the bell.

“Hello fake boyfriend. What can I do for you today?” He was greeted. The words were not unfriendly in any way, but Jaehyun felt his ears go red. 

“Mum wanted me to give you some cookies.”  
Doyoung’s mother rolled her eyes but opened the door for him to enter the house anyways. She offered tea and Jaehyun would be an idiot to decline. There was no reason for him not to come in. Still, when he found himself with a steaming mug of tea, he felt nervous. 

“I knew that Doyoung is an idiot, but I didn’t expect you to be so dumb when I met you. Still, your story is hilarious. Doyoung does think otherwise. He’s been sulking for the whole week now. Might be because we made too much fun of him.” Doyoung’s mother just continued on babbling. Jaehyun felt ashamed. He was able to stand the teasing of his parents, but he only met Doyoung’s mother twice. It was humiliating. He was saved when someone entered the room. Or so he thought.   
There was a man Jaehyun didn’t recognize standing in the doorway looking curiously at him. What Jaehyun didn’t expect after Doyoung’s mother introduced him is that the man started laughing.

“Why do you look so confused Jaehyun. Don’t tell me Doyoung didn’t tell his fake boyfriend about his brother? I’m Donghyun, Doyoung’s brother. Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you.” Donghyun’s words were mocking, but not malicious. Jaehyun guessed their situation was quite funny if you looked at it from the outside. He turned even redder than he already was and greeted Donghyun properly.

“Seriously, I am hurt, why didn’t Doyoung mention me?” With those words Donghyun addressed his mother. Jaehyun was glad to have the attention drawn away from him at least for a moment. He better hurries up and finish his tea quickly, before he would lose his mind. He took a long sip and closed his eyes. 

“Hey, Doyoung, why didn’t you talk about me to your fake boyfriend?”   
Jaehyun’s eyes snapped back open immediately and he automatically straightened his back. Doyoung was standing in the doorway next to his brother, looking at Jaehyun with a scowl on his face.

“Why are you here?” Doyoung asked, his voice still rough from sleep. 

“My mum asked me to bring over some cookies. Would you like one?” He knew that he sounded incredibly stupid at that moment, but he couldn’t help it. He had not expected to meet Doyoung (Despite going to his house) and wasn’t prepared to talk to him again. Despite his words, he didn’t expect for Doyoung to just roll his eyes and leave. He really messed up with Doyoung. After another long sip, he got up to excuse himself and leave. 

“Oh no mister, you are not leaving just because Doyoung rejected your offer. You are here for me after all.” Doyoung’s mother argued immediately. Even though Jaehyun knew she was right, he couldn’t help but feel out of place. Doyoung’s brother joined them at the table. A conversation sparked between them and soon Jaehyun began to feel more comfortable. He understood how his mother was friends with this woman. It was hard to not like her. Doyoung’s brother tried his best to seem normal, but he still snuck some curious glances in Jaehyun’s direction. The gazed weren’t mean, but Jaehyun felt like he somehow was examined by Donghyun.  
To everyone’s surprise, Doyoung came back to the kitchen a little while later. He wasn’t wearing his pyjamas anymore and seemed more awake altogether.

“Where are the cookies? I want one for breakfast.” All eyes were on Doyoung then.

“Jaehyun went to all that trouble to bring them over, so they have to be worth it.” Jaehyun would’ve taken that as a compliment for his mum if Doyoung’s voice weren’t so cold. He   
almost got angry, but figured he deserved Doyoung’s treatment.   
Luckily, Donghyun broke the following awkward silence.

“So, why didn’t you tell your fake boyfriend about me? I’m seriously hurt.”

“It wasn’t important. It’s not like we were actually dating. I figured you would never meet anyways. I didn’t think Jaehyun would have the guts to show up again.”

“Hey, cut me some slack here, I talked to my parents after. You agreed to keep it secret for that one evening.” 

“True, but we only got to that point, because you didn’t support me properly. You should’ve helped me clear up that misunderstanding right away instead of letting our parents set up a garden party.”

“Oh, come on, aren’t you happy that they had their fun?” Both of them had their arms crossed at that point, glaring at each other.

“Are you aware that we are still here?” Donghyun asked carefully. 

“None of minds, if that helps. We find that situation quite amusing actually.”

“No offence, mum, but that doesn’t help at all. Jaehyun shouldn’t have given me a space at those bleachers. That would have been less embarrassing.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget that you went along. You could’ve just walk away and let me look like an idiot.”

“I might’ve done that if I had known that you were such an idiot.”

“They forgot that we existed again.”

“Why don’t you two talk out in private. We are just gonna leave.” Donghyun said, ushering his mother out of the door and turning his father away from the kitchen. Neither Doyoung nor Jaehyun noticed his confused look. 

“So you think I am an idiot for trying to be nice?”

“Yes. I also think you are an idiot in general after I got to know you a bit.”

“Woah, no need to get personal. You were an idiot to accept my offer. You didn’t have to sit next to a total stranger, that was dumb enough to call you his boyfriend.”

“I still can’t believe the guard let us in like that. This is ridiculous.” Jaehyun just huffed and turned back to his teacup. It was unfortunately empty. Silence fell over them. It   
stretched uncomfortably long. Jaehyun began to reflect on everything that let them up until where they were then. Maybe he was an idiot. He opened his mouth to apologise or at least say something, but before he could say anything, Doyoung spoke up. 

“Sorry for snapping at you. I am just incredibly embarrassed by this story.” Jaehyun hadn’t expected for Doyoung to apologize. There was nothing for Doyoung to be sorry about anyways.

“I am sorry too. I could’ve handled everything better. Sorry for calling you my boyfriend without asking or anything. And I am sorry for not clearing things up when I had the chance. I guess I panicked.”

Doyoung nodded slowly.

“So where are those cookies of yours?”

The next few hours, Jaehyun spend chatting with Doyoung and his family (who re-joined them at some point). He was glad that they weren’t fighting anymore, but with that, there came uncertainty. Jaehyun found that he really liked spending time with Doyoung. They got along quite well after their rather rough start. Jaehyun watched as Doyoung laughed at what his brother came up with and figured that he wanted to befriend Doyoung properly. Later after he went home, he realized that there was a problem in his plan. He didn’t even have Doyoung’s number and the only way to contact him would be through his parents or by showing up at his doorstep. For valid reasons, Jaehyun believed that Doyoung wouldn’t appreciate either of those options. Jaehyun groaned. His mum and Doyoung were right, he was an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to let me know what you think!
> 
> Stay safe out there, follow the safety rules! Also, consider to sign some petitions or to donate some money for good causes when you can!
> 
> Have a great week!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! If you liked it, consider leaving some kudos, I might continue this story then ;)


End file.
